International Handbook of Land and Property Taxation

Citation

Ho, D. (2005), "International Handbook of Land and Property Taxation", Journal of Property Investment & Finance, Vol. 23 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpif.2005.11223cae.001

International Handbook of Land and Property Taxation

International Handbook of Land and Property Taxation

Edited by Richard M. Bird and Enid SlackEdward Elgar2004311 pp.ISBN: 1 84376 647 7Review DOI 10.1108/14635780510599485

I have found the book International Handbook of Land and Property Taxation a very meaningful and enlightening book to read. The editors Bird and Slack have developed a theoretically sound framework, backed by economic conceptions in order to attempt a comprehensive treatment on tax administration on land and property. Specifically and yet more broadly, they have to their credit managed to throw light of sufficient depth on key issues that include the tax base and rate, the tax burden and the tax policy decision makers. The international dimension is just as imperative to consider and the editors have effectively succeeded to render an in-depth treatment in this regard. This imperative is also a unique and important contribution to empirical real estate studies within the tax discipline, and the editors should be highly commended in this effort. I am very encouraged with the academic rigor of this book publication on the following grounds:

1. 1.

   The book on the whole demonstrates intellectual cohesion and consistency, and there is rigor in the book’s conceptualization.

2. 2.

   The international dimension of the book covers five regions (with five countries per region) – the OECD, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Thus, 25 in all are analyzed in terms of its land and property taxation review. In essence, this book proposal represents on a per-county basis a “critical instance case study” that probes in-depth, the behavioral institutional taxation structure unique to each different countries. This probing would test theories and notions in the book’s conceptualization, in order to highlight new insights and a fuller story of the lessons learned.

3. 3.

   Perhaps, what is the book needs (and seems to be lacking) is a thoughtful “Conclusion” chapter that is able to provide a comprehensive round-up of the country case studies, in the same manner as the book has provided a comprehensive treatment of the 25 countries. It should also have a punch-line to emphasize some key learning points for the reader, such as the following below, to name a few:

4. 4.
   • •

     regulations enforcing contracts and promoting competition;

   • •

     honest and independent judiciary; and

   • •

     educating a new generation in basic and applied research along the book’s topic.

David HoDepartment of Real Estate, National University of Singapore, Singapore